Tessa

Tessa is one of dozens of horses saved from the slaughter pipeline during late September 2019 into mid-November 2019. She had befriended a blind, terrified and injured Appy mare as they were offloaded from a trailer into a lot full of upset horses. It is unknown if these two had run through an auction together or had bonded in the crowded trailer.

We saved both horses as it was clear (especially after veterinary evaluation) that the blind mare had many issues and her eyes were being destroyed by disease (extremely painful). Tessa became friendly in our safe quarantine with another older mare who needed a friend. Once Tessa was fully evaluated for lameness and apparent neurological issues, it became clear she could not successfully rehab even as a companion horse. It is unclear what types of injuries she incurred during her life which caused breakdown to her musculo-skeletal and nervous systems. We can safely guess it was poor riding practices and excessive, difficult work which too many of the horses we see have endured.